If you find a house that seems to be exactly what you've been looking for, you might decide to write up an offer for slightly less than the asking price on the house. By writing up an offer on a home for sale that is close to the asking price, you may have a better chance of the seller accepting the offer; however, there are times when sellers when counter offers with full-price counters. Here are some of the reasons this happens.
A seller feels the house is underpriced
There are times when people list their homes for prices that they think are too low, but they go with the advice of their agents on this. If a homeowner receives an offer that is less than the asking price, he or she is probably not going to accept it if he or she believes the house is listed for a price that is too low to begin with. The problem is, as a buyer, you are not going to know what the seller thinks about the asking price and value of his or her home.
A seller just listed the house
If you view the house on the first day the house was listed and then make an offer, the seller might think that he or she listed it for a price that was too low. When sellers receive offers right away, they typically question their decisions about the asking prices of these homes. If a person is rushing to make an offer on the first day a home was listed, it is only natural for a seller to wonder about this. If you offer slightly under the amount and the seller counters it for the full-price, you should not be surprised if the house was just listed.
The seller might be too attached to the house
There are also times when sellers are just too attached to their homes to accept lower offers, even when people make reasonable offers. If a seller is too attached to his or her home, he or she may not even really want to sell it. A person like this might have the house listed just to see if anyone makes an offer.
Finding the right house can take some time when house hunting, but eventually you will find the right house for the right price. To learn more about buying a house, talk to a real estate agent.